It (novel)

It

File:It cover.jpg First edition cover
Author	Stephen King
Cover artist	Bob Giusti, illustration Amy Hill, lettering
Genre	Horror novel
Publisher	Viking
Publication date	September 15, 1986
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	1090
ISBN	978-0670813025
Preceded by	The Talisman
Followed by	The Eyes of the Dragon

It is a 1986 psychological horror novel by American author Stephen King. The story follows the exploits of seven children as they are terrorized by the eponymous inter-dimensional predatory life-form that exploits the fears and phobias of its victims in order to disguise itself while hunting its prey. "It" primarily appears in the form of "Pennywise the Dancing Clown"" a.k.a. "Bob Gray", described by characters who see It as resembling a combination of Bozo, Clarabell and Ronald McDonald, in order to attract its preferred prey of young children. The novel is told through narratives alternating between two time periods and is largely told in the third-person omniscient mode. It deals with themes which would eventually become King staples: the power of memory, childhood trauma and the ugliness lurking behind a façade of traditional small-town values. The novel won the British Fantasy Award in 1987, and received nominations for the Locus and World Fantasy Awards that same year. Publishers Weekly listed It as the best-selling book in America in 1986.

Plot

1957–58

In October 1957, an evil shape-shifting demon, known only as "It" awakens in the town of Derry, Maine. Taking the form of a clown named Pennywise, It encounters six-year-old George Denbrough when his paper boat is swept into a storm drain. Pennywise, hiding in the drain, entices George, rips off his arm and murders him.

The following June, overweight Ben Hanscom flees a gang of local bullies led by Henry Bowers. Ben escapes into the Barrens, where he meets and befriends Eddie Kaspbrak and Bill Denbrough, George's brother. The three boys later befriend Richie Tozier, Stan Uris, Beverly Marsh, and Mike Hanlon. The children, all outcasts, establish their circle as the "Losers Club." They gradually realize that they have encountered It in various forms. They become determined to destroy the monster. Bill discovers an ancient spell known as the Ritual of Chüd, in which a shapeshifting monster called a "talus" and a human shaman lock tongues and tell jokes; the first to laugh is devoured by the other. Bill believes this ritual will allow them to defeat and kill It. The group discovers that Pennywise has existed for many centuries in Derry. In a photograph, Pennywise appears and threatens to kill them, appearing to them all as their worst fears.

A few days later, Eddie is attacked by Henry, Victor, Belch, and a psychopathic boy named Patrick, landing Eddie in the hospital. Beverly stumbles across the Bowers gang in the landfill and hides. After Belch and Victor leave, Patrick (who is revealed to have murdered his baby brother) offers Henry oral sex. Henry threatens to reveal Patrick's secret: Patrick has been trapping animals in an abandoned refrigerator and leaving them to suffocate. After Henry leaves, Patrick decides to dispose of the animal corpses, but when he opens the refrigerator, he is attacked by It in the form of dozens of winged leeches, his worst fear. The Losers return to the refrigerator and discover a message from It written in Patrick's blood, warning them to stop. After Eddie is released from the hospital, Ben makes two slugs out of silver, believing that silver will kill monsters. The Losers return to the house, its interior made magically huge by It. It attacks the Losers in werewolf form, primarily focusing on Bill. The Losers, however, are able to chase It away.

In August, It provides Henry with a switchblade, with which the boy promptly murders his abusive father. Henry recruits Victor and Belch and takes them into the Barrens, where they drive the Losers into the sewers. Under Derry, It attacks the Bowers gang in the form of Frankenstein's monster, decapitating Victor and ripping half of Belch's face off, though Henry escapes. Henry returns home to find the police waiting for him; It has framed Henry for most of the murders. The Losers confront It in the form of a giant eye, which Eddie defeats. The creature appears as a giant spider. Bill enters It's mind through the Ritual of Chüd and comes to a darkness beyond the universe, where It's true form resides: a mass of floating orange light. Bill defeats It and the monster retreats. The Losers decide that It has been destroyed, but their own mystical bond begins to fray. In order to keep the bond, Beverly has sexual intercourse with each of the boys. The Losers finally escape from the sewers. The seven make a blood oath to return to Derry if It ever resurfaces.

1984–85

In July 1984, two gay gentlemen named Adrian Mellon and Don Hagarty are assaulted by three youths, who throw Adrian off a bridge. They are arrested for murder when Adrian's mutilated corpse is found, though one of the murderers claims that he saw a clown kill Adrian underneath the bridge. When a string of violent child-killings hits Derry, Mike, now the town’s librarian and the only one of the Losers’ Club to remain in Derry, calls up his six friends and reminds them of their childhood promise to return.

Bill is now a writer of horror novels, currently living in England and married to an actress named Audra Phillips. Beverly, now living in Chicago, is a sought-after designer in the fashion industry and very successful, but married to an abusive man named Tom Rogan. Eddie, who has become a full-fledged hypochondriac, has moved to New York City where he runs a limousine rental company and is married to a woman named Myra. Richie lives in Los Angeles and is a professional comedian with a radio show and talk show. Ben is now thin and a successful architect, living in Nebraska. Stan is a successful accountant residing in Atlanta, Georgia and married to a woman named Patty. Five of them return to Derry with only the dimmest awareness of why they are doing so, having almost completely blocked out virtually every aspect of their childhood. The only one not to return is Stan, who commits suicide in fear and dread of another encounter with It; he uses his blood to write IT on the wall.

The remaining Losers Club meets for lunch, where Mike enlightens them to the apparent nature of It: It awakens once roughly every 27 years for 12 to 16 months at a time to feed on children before going into slumber again. The group decides to kill It once and for all. Mike warns them that they are all targets. Later, many of the Losers witness manifestations of It. Three other people are also converging on the town: Bill's worried wife, Audra; Beverly's abusive husband, Tom; and Henry Bowers with assistance from It in escaping the mental institution of Juniper Hill where he has lived since his trial. Henry is convinced that he can get revenge on the Losers. Mike is confronted by Henry, getting stabbed in the leg. Mike badly injures Henry with a letter opener, but Henry is able to escape. Mike successfully gets help, despite Pennywise's attempts to block him. Henry, with the guidance of It, is transported by the cursed car Christine, and goes to the hotel to attack Eddie. In the ensuing fight, Henry finally dies.

It appears to Tom and orders him to capture Audra. Tom brings Audra to It's lair. Upon seeing It's true form (the dead lights), Audra becomes catatonic and Tom drops dead in shock. Bill, Ben, Beverly, Richie, and Eddie, find out that Mike is near death and realize that they are being forced into another confrontation with It. They descend into the sewers. While in the sewers, the remaining Losers use their strength as a group to "send energy" to a hospitalized Mike, who fights off a nurse that is under the control of It. It appears as George but Bill overcomes the illusion. They reach It’s lair and Bill and Richie engage It in the Ritual of Chüd again. Richie rescues Bill from the deadlights and manages to injure It. Eddie saves them, but is killed in the process. Beverly stays with Eddie and the traumatized Audra. Bill, Richie, and Ben follow It when It retreats due to injury. They discover that It has laid eggs, and they are about to hatch. Ben begins destroying the eggs while Bill and Richie follow It to finish the job. Bill crushes It's heart between his hands, finally killing It. At the same time the worst storm in Maine's history sweeps through Derry and the downtown area collapses. Mike concludes that Derry is finally dying.

The novel ends with the Losers returning home and forgetting about It, Derry and each other. As a sign that It really is dead, Mike’s memory of the events of that summer also begin to fade, much to his relief. Bill is the last to leave Derry. Before he goes, he takes Audra, still catatonic, for a ride on Silver, hoping that they can beat her catatonia. They succeed, and the story ends.

It

Stephen King is not entirely clear on the character's origins, but It apparently originated in a void containing and surrounding the universe, a place referred to in the novel as the "Macroverse" (a concept similar to the later established Todash Darkness of The Dark Tower series). It's most commonly used name is Bob Gray or Pennywise (at several points in the novel, It claims its true name to be Robert Gray) and is only christened "It" by the group of children who later form the Loser's Club. Likewise, It's true form is never truly comprehended. It's favorite form is that of a wisecracking clown (with fangs and large claws when It stalks a child) known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, and It's final form in the physical realm is that of an enormous female spider. The Losers Club considers It female. It's spider form is the closest the human mind can get to approximating It's actual form. It's natural form exists in a realm beyond the physical, in the area past the edge of the universe, a form which It calls the "deadlights." As such, the deadlights are never seen in their entirety, only partly shown through a metaphysical cage that surrounds our universe and It's true form outside the physical world is revealed to only be writhing, destructive orange lights. Coming face to face with the deadlights drives any living being instantly insane (a common H. P. Lovecraft device), if not killed outright. Bill comes dangerously close to seeing the deadlights, but successfully defeats It before this happens, though during their first confrontation with It, Ben believes that he nearly sees It's true form, and almost panics as a result. The only character King has shown to face the deadlights and survive is Bill's wife, Audra Phillips, whose encounter with the deadlights nevertheless renders her temporarily catatonic.

Beings that It kills or has something to do with the death of are seemingly absorbed into It's consciousness, and it is somewhat implied that they 'never truly die'. At certain times some beings that It takes the form of seem to have a small amount of autonomy such as when the corpse of Belch Huggins gives Henry a ride to the Derry Townhouse and gives Henry strange looks but says nothing at all and when Beverly's father screams about his desire to rape her. King has also shown It to have the power to possess people, lulling them into a dream-like state where they are hardly aware of their actions and simply behave violently or ignore the violence at hand.

It's natural enemy is "The Turtle," another ancient Macroverse dweller resembling a God-like deity, who, eons ago, created our universe, and possibly others. The Turtle shows up again in King's series The Dark Tower. The book suggests that It, along with the Turtle, are themselves creations of a separate, omnipotent creator referred to as "the Other". The Turtle and It are eternal enemies (creation vs. consumption). It arrived in our world in a massive, cataclysmic event similar to an asteroid impact, in the place that would, in time, become Derry, Maine, where It waited for humanity to appear.

It's power is apparently quite vast; during the second Ritual of Chüd, It offers the Losers money, power, and supernatural lifespans if they spare It. Whether It is bluffing in order to save Itself or not, King does not make clear. Nonetheless, It is able to manifest in multiple places at once (at one point, It possesses Alvin Marsh, Beverly's father, and Henry Bowers at the same time) and choose to make itself and anything related to itself visible to some while invisible to others. When It confronts Richie Tozier in 1985, It threatens to give him prostate cancer, a brain tumor, and turn his tongue into pus, and Richie is convinced that It could actually perform such feats.

Through the novel, some events are described through It's point of view, through which It describes itself as the "superior" being, with the Turtle as someone "close to his superiority" and humans as mere "toys." It describes that it prefers to kill and devour children, not by nature, but rather because the fears of children are easier to interpret in a physical form and thus children are easier to fill with terror, which It says is akin to "salt(ing) the meat". It is continuously surprised by the children's victories and near the end, and begins to wonder if It perhaps is not as superior as It had once thought. However, It never believes that the individual children are strong enough to defeat It; though It suspects the presence of "the Other" working through them as a group, It dismisses the possibility — an error which proves fatal.

Most of It's powers are far beyond anything a human brain or science can digest or process, making It seemingly unstoppable and insurmountable - and thus, ultimately dangerous. Apart from the mentioned abilities of It, also it is stated that It can do a lot more things than these.

Power Abilities

• Shape-shifting. It can immediately transform itself to any kind of being, taking the frightful image directly from the victim's mind, regardless of the size or nature. It took the form of a giant plastic statue, several small life entities - flying leeches - or several human-sized entities, when the adult Eddie is confronted by the cadavers of Greta Bowie, Patrick Hockstetter, and Belch Huggins at the baseball court. Between shape-shifting, It is an orange amorphous goo, which is somewhat close to It's true form.

• Partial invisibility. This was clearly stated in several cases, notably when the adult Beverly encounters Pennywise at the place where she used to live, or when the adult Ben Hanscom encounters It in the public library, suggesting that only those can see It, who actually believe, or have knowledge about It's existence, although It can become fully visible to anybody, when it is necessary. One notable moment was when It helps Henry Bowers to escape from Juniper Hill, one of Henry's roommates and then, the guard also witness It next to Henry.

• It can create many different illusions, which are actually real. These illusions include balloons floating against the wind, moving photographs, blood gushes and streams, small but shocking entities, such as a cricket, a mutant fly, teeth, and eyeball, which were hidden in the fortune cookies at the Losers' reunion, different noises and music (including human speech), and various smells (popcorn, cotton candy, rotting). The partial invisibility ability fully applies on all of these illusions, as only the chosen victims can actually see and sense these. After a period of time, or when the witness actually sees through the illusion, these will cease to exist. It is imperative, however, to see through the illusion perfectly.

• Quick regeneration. While It is clearly not invulnerable, and in fact, can be wounded and damaged in smaller-bigger degrees, It can almost spontaneously regenerate. This ability of It appears to be untrustworthy, as seen at the young Mike Hanlon's encounter with the giant bird. After Mike hit the bird's eye and its feet with broken tiles, It quickly decided to retreat. At the other hand, when Bill and Richie encounter It in its werewolf form at 29 Neibolt street, It can almost instantly regenerate itself after Bill's headshot with the Walther PPK, and chase the boys for a somewhat long period. It is unclear, how It utilizes its quick regeneration abilities, but it might be a necessarily-corporeal ability. Opinions differ about whether or not It could be killed merely with heavy firepower and weapons, or at least It's physical form.

• It can read people's mind in its close vicinity, this is the ability It exploits mostly, when taking a form, but in several cases, It can clearly read the Losers' thoughts, and use them on its own advantage.

• It can communicate telepathically, as seen in the scene of the library with the adult Ben Hanscom, or the Juniper Hill scene with Henry Bowers.

• Mind control ability. It has the power of controlling several people's mind, even simultaneously. This also suggests that It has the ability to erase certain things out of people's memory or knowledge. At the two confrontations between the Losers and It, Bill discovers this, and warns his friends about It is "everywhere in the whole city", and massively effect the people's mind who are living in Derry, making them indifferent about the tragic events that are taking place. People with weak will seem to succumb to It's mind control ability very often. This mind control ability presumably has no effect on people outside Derry's boundaries.

• It can teleport itself to limited distances by disappearing without a trace, and re-appearing somewhere else a little bit later. Although a very useful and effective ability, It does not seem to exploit this too often.

• With a touch, It can instantly cause plants to die. It is seen when Eddie (young and adult) encounters It in its leper form. It must be distinguished from the illusions mentioned earlier, as this effect persists long after It's appearance, although it does not serve any practical purposes.

• Telekinesis. It can manipulate lifeless objects to fall, float around, and behave supernaturally. This includes locking doors, and electronic devices.

• It may have effect on the weather in Derry's region. More than one occasions, when the Losers face It, the weather changes into a thunderstorm. Most notably at the final confrontation, which actually devastates Derry's downtown region.

The forms of It

Below are a list of forms taken by the shape-shifting creature:

• Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Its primary manifestation. Mainly used when hunting children. Carries balloons often. Sometimes makes corny jokes while taunting his victims)
• George Denbrough, when Bill examines his brother's photo album and multiple times beneath the city of Derry.
• Curtis Willett (real life "witness" of supposed "killer clown" in a Portland Maine suburb)
• Dorsey Corcoran's re-animated corpse and The Creature from the Black Lagoon, when pursuing Eddie Corcoran
• The voice of Betty Ripsom, one of Its victims, overheard by Betty's parents through a drain to taunt them
• A giant bird, inspired both by a crow that attacked Mike Hanlon as a baby and also Rodan, a giant pteranodon featured in a Japanese horror movie from 1957, when pursuing Mike Hanlon (oddly, It also appears as a giant bird to Will Hanlon, Mike's father, thus making him one of the few adults who have seen It)
• The Werewolf, when It encounters Richie & Bill (wearing a Derry High School blazer inspired by the 1957 horror film, I Was a Teenage Werewolf)
• The Leper/Diseased Homeless Man, when Eddie first encounters It under the porch of the house on Neibolt Street
• The Mummy. Ben Hanscom recalls seeing a mummy (from the original movie) in Pennywise's outfit walking along the frozen canal towards him. It carries balloons that float against the wind.
• The Eye, when encountering the Losers under the city
• Alvin Marsh, Beverly's abusive father.
• A swarm of winged leeches, when attacking Patrick Hockstetter
• A swarm of piranhas, when Eddie is frightened of crossing the stream
• The shark from Jaws, seen by a boy named Tommy Vicananza in the Derry canal in 1985
• Dracula, seen by Ben in the Derry library in 1985. It does not look like any of the traditional variations of Dracula, but rather looks Kurt Barlow from King's own Salem's Lot: very old and with razor blades for teeth.
• A statue of Paul Bunyan attacking Richie Tozier in 1958. In 1985, Richie sees that this statue is replaced by a giant Pennywise.
• Tony Tracker, manager of a trucking depot in Derry during the Losers' childhood. Eddie Kaspbrak sees It in this form when he visits an old baseball diamond near the depot in 1985.
• Frankenstein's Monster; It is perceived in this form by Henry's cronies, Victor Criss and Belch Huggins.
• A Doberman Pinscher. When It appears to Henry Bowers in 1985 at Juniper Hills Mental Institution, It turns into an 8-foot-tall (2.4 m) dog of this breed because it is the only animal that the guard on duty fears.
• The Decomposing corpse of Patrick Hockstetter, to Eddie briefly in the sewers as a child before It becomes The Eye. Seen by Eddie again at Tracker Brothers in 1985.
• The moon, while giving Its orders to Its servant, Henry Bowers.
• Victor Criss, while convincing Henry Bowers to help It.
• The head of Stan Uris, full of feathers, inside Mike's fridge. Also appears again as a jack-in-the-box when Henry fights Mike in the library. Mike sees Stan's head again as Henry sees Victor's head.
• The witch from "Hansel and Gretel." Beverly Marsh visits her old home to find a woman named Mrs. Kersh living there. Mrs. Kersh then transforms into the witch, showing that she is actually It.
• Decomposing corpses of children perceived by Stan Uris, as he enters the Standpipe and remembers the tale of the kids who drowned in the water tower's reservoir.
• Reginald "Belch" Huggins - It takes this form when It gives Henry Bowers a ride to the Derry Town House (to murder the remaining Loser's Club members) in 1985. It picks Henry up in a 1958 Plymouth Fury, a direct reference to King's novel Christine.
• The Deadlights, when Henry Bowers and the Losers encounter It. This is its form in the Macroverse. People will see this form of It if they look too long in the Spider's eyes.
• The Giant Spider, which is It's closest physical representation on Earth.

Cycle

For millions of years, It dwelt under Derry, awaiting the arrival of humans, which it somehow knew would occur. Once people settled over It's dwelling place, It adopted a cycle of hibernating for long periods and waking approximately every twenty-five to thirty years. It's waking spells are marked by extraordinary violence, which is inexplicably overlooked or outright forgotten by those who witness It. It's awakening and return to hibernation mark the greatest instances of violence during It's time awake.

• 1715–1716: It awoke.
• 1740–1743: It awoke and started a three-year reign of terror that culminated with the disappearance of over three hundred settlers from Derry Township, much like the Roanoke Island mystery.
• 1769–1770: It awoke.
• 1851: It awoke when a man named John Markson, poisoned his family, then committed suicide by eating a white-nightshade mushroom, causing an excruciating death.
• 1876–1879: It awoke, then went back into hibernation after a group of lumberjacks were found murdered near the Kenduskeag.
• 1904–1906: It awoke when It rampaged through the woods near Derry, incinerating them. Then It came upon a lumberjack named Claude Heroux, who was hiding in the woods at the time, and drove him to murder a number of men in a bar with an axe. Heroux was promptly pursued by a mob of townsfolk and hanged. It returned to hibernation when the Kitchener Ironworks exploded, killing one hundred and eight people, eighty-eight of them children engaged in an Easter egg hunt.
• 1929–1930: It awoke when a group of Derry citizens gunned down a group of gangsters known as the Bradley Gang. This may be an allusion to the real life Brady Gang, who were shot to death in a spectacular gun battle on the streets of Bangor in 1937. It returned to hibernation when the Maine Legion of White Decency, a Northern counterpart to the Ku Klux Klan, burned down an African-American army nightclub called "The Black Spot." One survivor, Dick Hallorann, appeared in King's earlier novel, The Shining.
• 1957–1958: It awoke during a great storm which flooded part of the city, and murdered George Denbrough. It then met its match when the Losers forced It to return to an early hibernation when wounded by the young Bill Denbrough in the first Ritual of Chüd.
• 1984–1985: It awoke when three young bullies beat up a young homosexual couple, Adrian Mellon and Don Hagarty, throwing Mellon off a bridge (an allusion to the Charlie Howard murder) resulting in It killing him. It was finally destroyed in the second Ritual of Chüd by the adult Bill Denbrough, Richie Tozier, Beverly Marsh, Eddie Kaspbrak and Ben Hanscom.

In the intervening periods between each pair of events, a series of child murders occur, which are never solved. The book's surface explanation as to why these murders are never reported on the national news is that location matters to a news story — a series of murders, no matter how gruesome, doesn't get reported if they happen in a small town. However, the book's implied reason for why the atrocities go unnoticed is far more sinister: It (the monster) won't allow them to be. In fact, It's power over the town is so absolute that It's death in the second Ritual of Chüd causes an enormous storm that damages the downtown part of Derry - Although this could be due to a belief held by Beverly as her father tells her early in the book that some people believe killing spiders brings rain (It takes the form of a spider in the final confrontation.)

Its Weaknesses

Despite It seeing itself as the superior being, and actually stating that its brain embraces the whole continent, It is far from being all-mighty. Though It does seem to have significant power above Derry and over its denizens, It displays several weaknesses, which the Losers exploit and eventually overcome.

For instance, It clearly underestimates and scorns all the human beings, including the Losers. It is notable in many cases that It leaves an open escapeway for the victims and lets them run away. This was seen when the young Ben Hanscom encounters the mummy and when Eddie sees the leper under the porch of 29 Neibolt Street. Because of this, It constantly makes mistakes and does illogical things. When Henry Bowers and his sidekicks chase the Losers into the sewer tunnel system, It attacks Henry's gang instead and turns on the Losers only after killing Henry's two friends. It is also mentioned in the novel that It killed a child named Frederick Cowan by emerging from the toilet, and yet, It was unable to finish off the Losers one by one using this same method only because it doesn't believe that it needed to do such things to kill them.

It is a psychically sensitive entity, so courage and heart can overcome It, even in its most diabolical appearances. Once the Losers are together, their strong will and the love for each other successfully overpower It and its fiendish machinations. Their strong faith in their various methods of fighting It eventually leads them to victory. The Losers' assault on 29 Neibolt Street made It quickly retreat after being hit by a silver slug (because of the Losers' common sense solution of using silver against supernatural entities).

The novel also states that when It transforms into a shape, It must surrender to the laws of that shape. This clearly means that It is not invulnerable, and its physical forms can bleed and can be significantly damaged and perhaps even destroyed.

It goes to hibernation for 26–27 years between the cycles. During that time, It may be extremely vulnerable to surprise attacks. However, despite having been defeated for good, it has been heavily implied in other books (such as the Dreamcatcher and Hearts in Atlantis) that It may be still alive. It's natural enemy, The Turtle "Maturin" is mentioned in The Dark Tower series and the character Father Callahan even managed to defend himself from a large group of demons using a cross and the Turtle image, in spite of the latter having "died" during this novel. So, it can be speculated that only Its physical form was destroyed.

Characters

The Losers Club

The seven Losers are the tweens who are united by their unhappy lives, their misery at being the victims of bullying by Henry Bowers and their eventual struggle to overcome It.

• William "Bill" Denbrough: Also known as "Stuttering Bill", he gets his nickname from his bad stuttering issue, which became much more severe after his brother's death; although his mother attributes it to a car accident that occurred when Bill was three, it's implied to be more of a psychological issue than a physical one. His brother George was killed by It in 1957. Bill feels slightly guilty about the murder, because he'd been the one who sent George outside to play. Ever since George died, Bill has been partially ignored by his parents who also blamed him for his brother's death. Beverly Marsh develops an intense crush on him during their time in the Losers Club. When the group returned to Derry in 1985 they sleep together but do not carry their relationship any further. He is the most determined and resourceful of the Losers and is the one who, both in 1958 and 1985, confronts It in the Ritual of Chüd and eventually destroys It. As an adult, he marries Audra Phillips, a successful actress bearing a strong resemblance to Bev. As with other King characters Jack Torrance, Paul Sheldon, Ben Mears, Bobbi Anderson, Thaddeus Beaumont, Mike Noonan, Sue Snell, Mort Rainey, Gordie LaChance and numerous others, in 1985, Bill is a famous writer.

• Benjamin "Ben" Hanscom: He was dubbed "Haystack" by Richie, after the professional wrestler Haystack Calhoun. Because of his ample body contours, he has become a frequent victim of Henry Bowers, who once used a Buck knife to try to carve his name into his stomach (he managed an unfinished 'H' before Ben escaped). His father died in a plane crash in the army. He also develops an intense crush on Beverly Marsh and the two leave Derry together after the 1985 defeat of It. As he grows up, he sheds his excess weight and becomes an architect. His mechanical skills become useful to the Losers, from making two silver slugs to building an underground clubhouse where Mike and Richie have a vision of Its cosmic crash into the site which would later become Derry, Maine.

• Beverly "Bev" Marsh (later Rogan): The only female in the group, Beverly is an attractive, chain smoking, redheaded girl from the poorest part of Derry. She has an abusive father who beats her regularly. She develops a crush on Bill Denbrough and her skill with a slingshot is a key factor in battling It. All the boys are described as being fond of Beverly; at some point, each has romantic or sexual feelings for her, which is later confirmed once all the Losers return from the sewer defeating It (or so they thought). As a child, her father abused her while using his constant catch phrase, "I worry about you, Bevvy. Sometimes I worry a lot." As an adult, she becomes a successful fashion designer, but endures several abusive relationships, culminating in her marriage to Tom Rogan, who sees her as a sex object and disapproves of her chain smoking, using it as an excuse to beat her up. After a brief liaison with Bill, she subsequently departs Derry with Ben following the death of her husband (who was used by It to nearly kill the Losers).

• Richard "Richie" Tozier: Known as "Trashmouth", Richie is the Losers' most lighthearted member, always cracking jokes and doing impersonations or "Voices", which prove very powerful weapons against It. He is "too intelligent for his own good" and channels his boredom in hyper-active wisecracking, to the point of being self-destructive. His flippant remark to Henry Bowers leads to almost getting beaten up by Henry and his friends. His childhood trauma stemmed from his rapid-fire insults being compulsive and almost subconsciously triggered. He is the most devoted to keeping the group together as he sees 7 as a magical number and believes the group should have no more, no less. In adulthood, he is a successful disc jockey. As the DJ, he uses his once-annoying and unrealistic voices as one of his main attractions. These voices became a weapon of the Losers against It, when they find out It could be hurt by Richie's Voices. Like Ben, he has a crush on Beverly, though it is not crucial to the plot. He has bad eyesight and wears thick glasses as a child, but changes to contact lenses as an adult.

• Edward "Eddie" Kaspbrak: Eddie is a frail hypochondriac whose asthma is psychosomatic. At one point in the story the man who runs the pharmacy told him that he had a placebo and that his medicine is nothing but water. He has a worrying, domineering mother who, ever since his father died, has used Munchausen syndrome by proxy to bully him into caring for her. Eddie is considered the most physically fragile member of the group, although his gym teacher, Coach Black, states that Eddie "loves to play games and runs quite fast." Richie sometimes calls him "Eds", which he hates (as is demonstrated when It bites off Eddie's arm and his dying words are to Richie, who calls him "Eds": "Richie, don't call me Eds. You know I...I... [without finishing his sentence, "I hate it when you call me that"]"). He is a Methodist, though his family were strict Polish Catholic two generations before Eddie. When Henry and his friends break his arm and his mother tries to prevent the Losers from visiting Eddie in the hospital, he finally stands up to his mother and tells her that he is no longer the helpless kid she thinks he is. He eventually runs a successful limousine business but is married to a woman (Myra) very similar to his mom. He also finds the strength to defend himself from Henry Bowers, eventually deforming and killing him in self defense with a broken bottle, even though in the fight his arm is re-broken in the same spot Henry broke it in a scuffle when they were kids. He bleeds to death in the sewers after his arm is bitten off, ultimately dying in the gang's arms.

• Michael "Mike" Hanlon: Mike is the last to join the Losers. He is the only African American child in the group. When he is racially persecuted by Henry Bowers, the Losers fight back against Bowers in a massive rock fight. Mike is the only one of the Losers to stay behind in Derry (and thus the only one to retain his memory of the events of 1958) and becomes the town librarian. He is the one who beckons the others back when the killings begin again in 1985. His father kept an album filled with photos that were important to Derry's history, including several of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Through the knowledge he acquires of Derry and It, he becomes an amateur historian of the town. He is seriously wounded by Henry Bowers and nearly dies. He later recovers from his wounds but like the others starts to lose his memory of the experience, and of the other Losers. It was later revealed in Insomnia that Mike continued as a librarian and was the boss of one of that book's primary protagonists in 1993.

• Stanley "Stan" Uris: Also known as "Stan the Man", Stan is a skeptical, bookish Jewish member of the club. He admits that his family takes a relaxed approach to their faith, rather than practicing it devoutly. Logic, order, and cleanliness are deeply ingrained in his psyche. He is the least willing to accept that It actually exists and relies on logic more than anything else. Stan, much like Mike, is racially persecuted by Henry. As a child his main hobby was birdwatching. He later becomes a partner in a large Atlanta-based accounting firm and marries Patty Blum, a teacher. However, upon receiving Mike's phone call, he commits suicide by slitting his wrists in the bathtub and writing 'IT' in his blood on the wall. He chose death over returning to Derry to face the ancient terror despite being the one to slice the Losers' palms in a blood oath. It is also implied in the book that Stan remembers more about the children's encounters with It than the others do, sometimes commenting about the Turtle and other events from his time in Derry, though he claims that he doesn't remember what those phrases mean. It can be implied throughout the story that he was psychic to a mild degree (accurately predicting which job his wife should apply for, a higher sensitivity to Its activities, frequent references from the other losers to his "ordered mind") Bill also blames It for Stan's death, saying in one part of the novel that It "killed Stan the Man."

Other characters

• Henry Bowers: Henry Bowers is a sadistic, crazed bully who torments the Losers and other kids, both male and female, to no end throughout the summer of 1958. Henry's sanity slowly deteriorates throughout the summer due to the influence of It and abuse from his equally crazy father, Oscar "Butch" Bowers. He is also shown to be a racist, sharing his father's intense hatred for the Hanlons, the only black family in Derry, in addition to being a misogynist, sexist, homophobe, and anti-semite. He inflicts many acts of violence and humiliation upon the Losers during and before the summer of '58, such as partially carving his name into Ben Hanscom's belly, killing Mike Hanlon's dog with tainted meat and bathing Mike in mud in order to make him a "tar baby", breaking Eddie Kaspbrak's arm, breaking Richie Tozier's glasses numerous times, and white-washing Stan Uris' face in snow until it bleeds. His eroding sanity becomes apparent during his attacks on Eddie and Beverly: with the former, he pushed a man to the ground and threatened him into going back inside, and kicked out an old lady's taillight when she tried to stand up for Beverly. After a violent rockfight in early July, Henry becomes more and more sadistic until he eventually murders his father in mid-August with a switchblade provided by It and tries to kill the Losers. He follows them into the town sewers with his friends Victor Criss and Reginald "Belch" Huggins, only to encounter It in the form of Frankenstein's monster, who decapitates Victor and mutilates Belch's face, after which Henry escapes. Henry fails to kill any of the Losers, but he eventually finds his way out of the sewers. He is convicted for the murder of his father and is framed for most of Its murders throughout the summer. He is placed in an insane asylum where he becomes terrified of the dark. He measures his time in the asylum by how many night lights he burns out (four) and remains there until May 29, 1985, when he escapes with Its assistance, and heads back to Derry to attempt to murder the Losers once more. After critically wounding Mike in the town library and being injured himself in the process, Henry then goes to the hotel where most of the Losers are staying, and finds Eddie's room first, only to be killed in the confrontation with Eddie.

• Victor "Vic" Criss: Victor "Vic" Criss is a bully, and one of Henry's sidekicks. Among Henry's gang, Vic is probably the most intelligent, having clearly defined morals despite his sadistic sense of humor and foul mouth. Beyond this Vic is a fair baseball pitcher, and the only person who truly realizes Henry's eroding sanity, and becomes more and more reluctant to hang around Henry. In early August, Vic almost approaches the Losers to join them, but decides against it. By doing this, he seals his fate and joins Henry and Belch in following the Losers into the sewers (in a state described as scared, confused, and avid implying he may have been possessed), where the three encounter It in the form of Frankenstein's monster, who kills Vic.

• Reginald "Belch" Huggins: Reginald "Belch" Huggins is another sidekick of Henry's, and earned his nickname due to his ability to belch on command. He is very big for his age, being six feet tall at twelve years old. Belch is considered stupid by most people, which he makes up for in physical strength and his fierce loyalty to his friends, especially Henry. Belch follows Henry into the sewers to murder the Losers, only to be brutally killed by It in the form of Frankenstein's monster after it kills Vic and Henry leaves him to die.

• Patrick Hockstetter: Patrick Hockstetter is a psychopathic and solipsistic bully who sometimes hangs out with Henry's gang. Patrick keeps a pencil box full of dead flies, which he kills with his ruler, and shows it to other students. He also takes small, usually injured animals and locks them in a broken refrigerator in a junkyard, and leaves them there to die. Along with killing animals, Patrick has also murdered his infant brother, Avery, by suffocation when he was five years old. When alone with Henry after lighting farts with him and his gang one July afternoon in 1958, Patrick gives Henry a handjob and offers to give him oral sex, which snaps Henry out of his daze and prompts him to punch Patrick in the mouth. Henry then reveals that he knows about Patrick's refrigerator, and threatens to tell everyone about it if Patrick tells about the handjob. Once Henry left, Patrick opens the refrigerator to dispose of the animal corpses but is attacked by a swarm of flying leeches. The swarm sucks Patrick's blood, leaving large holes all over his body, which causes him to slowly lose consciousness as he is dragged away by It. When he awakens, It begins to feed on him.

• Edward "Eddie" Corcoran: Eddie Corcoran is a classmate of the Losers Club and Henry's gang. Like Beverly Marsh, Eddie and his younger brother Dorsey are victims of child abuse by their stepfather, Richard Macklin. However, unlike Beverly's father, who proved to be a loving and caring father at times, Eddie's stepfather would often beat them brutally and without warning, at one point throwing Eddie into a coat rack with enough force to make him urinate blood for two weeks simply for accidentally slamming the door. In May 1957, Richard hit Dorsey in the back of the head with a hammer, accidentally killing him, which he covered up to look like an accident. Two days before summer vacation in June 1958, Eddie runs away from home and decides to rest in the park. While sitting on a bench, Dorsey approaches him and grabs his ankle. Eddie breaks free and runs, with Dorsey quickly pursuing him. After a short while, It changes into the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Eddie's greatest fear. It catches up to him and begins choking him, bursting his carotid artery before tearing off his head.

• Adrian Mellon: Adrian Mellon is a young homosexual man in Derry. He grows fond of the town, despite its violently homophobic mindset, and only agrees to leave to please his boyfriend, Don Hagarty. Before leaving, however, the two attend a town fair in July 1984, and on the way home are harassed by three homophobic youths. The three attack them, Adrian especially because of a hat he won at the fair, and throw him over a canal. When he hits the bottom, Pennywise finds Adrian, bites into his armpit, and drags him away and kills him, which Don and one of the bullies, Chris Unwin, witness. At the trial, nobody mentions a clown. His death is a nod to Charlie Howard.

• Will Hanlon: Will Hanlon is the father of Mike Hanlon. While dying of cancer in 1963, he tells Mike about his experiences in the U.S. Air Force in the 1920s and about establishing the Black Spot, a club started by Will and his black Air Force buddies and originally meant exclusively for black members, but gradually began accepting members of other races as well. He recounts how, in the fall of 1930, the club was burned down by a group of Maine Legion of White Decency members, causing numerous deaths. He also tells Mike that he witnessed a giant bird—the same bird that nearly killed Mike in 1958—carry off a Legion of White Decency member and fly away with him in its talons.

• Mr. Keene: Mr. Norbert Keene was the owner and operator of the Center Street Drug Store for fifty years from 1925 to 1975. He administers Eddie's asthma medication and later reveals to him that it's only a placebo. Many years later, Mike interviews him and Mr. Keene tells him the story of the Bradley Gang, a group of outlaws who came through Derry frequently and caused trouble. He tells Mike that, in 1929, a year before the fire at the Black Spot, the entire gang was murdered by Derry residents when stopping through town to buy guns. Mr. Keene says that rather than covering up the event, the whole town instead pretended that it never occurred, including police Chief Jim Sullivan, who even took part in the slayings. Finally, Mr. Keene mentions seeing a clown participating in the shooting, but that it was wearing farmer's attire rather than a traditional clown suit. He also points out that even though the Sun was out, the clown cast no shadow.

• Tom Rogan: The insane, abusive, violent and sadistic husband of Beverly Marsh. Tom has a very predatory view of women, and he thrives on the control he has over his vulnerable wife. When Beverly tries to leave for Derry, he refuses to let her, whipping her. Tom is surprised when the normally docile Beverly fights back, and almost kills him, before leaving for Derry. Tom, desperate to find his wife, beats one of her friends until he finds out that Beverly is in Derry. Tom goes to Derry with the intent to kill Beverly, and possibly her "writer friend" Bill Denbrough, whom Tom (correctly) assumes she is sleeping with. When he gets there, It uses Tom to capture Audra Phillips and bring her to Its lair under the city. Upon seeing It in its true form, Tom drops dead in shock and gets eaten by It.

• Audra Phillips: Bill Denbrough's wife who is a famous actress. She and Bill have an occasional working relationship: she is set to star in an adaptation of a novel he wrote. When Bill leaves for Derry, he strongly urges Audra to remain in England, and although she agrees, she leaves the next day to follow him. When she makes it to Derry, It uses Tom Rogan to capture her, and uses her as bait to lure Bill Denbrough. When the Losers defeat It once and for all, they rescue Audra, but she is catatonic. The book ends with Bill using the last of his childhood to bring her out of the coma. Audra has a strong physical resemblance to the adult Beverly Rogan.

• George Denbrough: The first character introduced in the book, George is Bill's younger brother. He is a stereotypical child, innocent and curious. He is killed when It, appearing as Pennywise, rips off his arm. George's death is the first in the fall of 1957 and it is what drives Bill to defeat It. Although in 1958, It threatens to appear to Bill as George, It never does so until 1985 (excluding Its appearance before Bill in Georgie's room, when It causes George's school photo to leer and wink at him). When Bill sees It as George, he works through his grief and overcomes Its ruse.

• Peter Gordon: A well-off friend of Henry's that lives on West Broadway, who thinks of chasing Mike Hanlon as a game, though Henry's crazed and increasingly violent behavior (such as attempting to outright kill Mike with cherry bombs and M-80s) begins to alienate him. He is never seen again after the rock fight. Eddie assumes that Henry kicked him out of his gang because he was the first to run away from the fight. It is implied that he was eventually killed by It as it is recounted that all of Henry's friends and ex-friends were killed by It.

• Claude Heroux: An Acadian logger who was active in a Union movement in the early 1900s around Derry. After several Union organizers were killed and narrowly escaping death, he retreated to woods where It possessed him, leading him to slaughter several Anti-Union organizers possibly involved in the murder of his comrades at the Silver Dollar Bar. Later hanged and killed despite a seemingly clueless state.

• Richard "Dick" Hallorann: A chef in Derry Army E Company. Although Dick Hallorann plays a minor role in this novel, by saving Mike Hanlon's father at the fire at the Black Spot, he plays a more significant role in the novel The Shining.

• Alvin Marsh: Beverly Marsh's insane father. Although he is not an alcoholic or drug-user, he abuses Bev and her mother (who sadly died), and acts misogynistic. He died of unknown causes, possibly murdered and eaten by It, in 1980.

25th Anniversary Special Edition

On December 13, 2011, Cemetery Dance published a special limited edition of It for the 25th anniversary of the novel (ISBN 978-1587672705). This edition was published in three different states: an unsigned gift edition limited to 2,750 copies, a signed edition limited to 750 copies, and a signed and lettered edition limited to 52 copies. All three variants are oversized hardcovers, housed in a slipcase or a traycase, all featuring premium binding materials. This anniversary edition features a new dust jacket illustration by Glen Orbik, as well as numerous interior illustrations by Alan M. Clark and Erin Wells. The book also contains a new afterword by Stephen King discussing why he wrote this novel.

Adaptations

Main article: It (1990 film)

In 1990, the novel was adapted into a television movie featuring John Ritter as Ben Hanscom, Harry Anderson as Richie Tozier, Tim Reid as Mike Hanlon, Annette O'Toole as Beverly Marsh, Richard Thomas as Bill Denbrough, Olivia Hussey as Audra Denbrough, Dennis Christopher as Eddie Kaspbrak, and Tim Curry in the lead role as the titular It.

Woh a Hindi language Indian television horror-thriller series which aired on Zee TV in 1998 had taken the main plot elements from IT.

On 12 March 2009, Warner Bros. announced that the production of a new adaptation of Stephen King's novel had started. Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Doug Davison are set to produce. The screenplay is currently re-written by Dave Kajganich.

Links to other King works

• Children of the Corn: In Ben Hanscom's part of "Six Phone Calls", it tells us that he is in a town past Gatlin, Nebraska. Gatlin is the setting for King's short story "Children of the Corn".
• Carrie: Carrie White's grave is located in the Derry cemetery.
• Pet Sematary: When Richie Tozier pulls over the side of the highway on his way to Derry, an Orinco truck passes by him.
• The End of the Whole Mess: Mike Hanlon refers to the lack of crime in a small town in Texas due to the water, a reference to King's short story "The End of the Whole Mess".
• Gray Matter: In King's short story "Gray Matter", an elderly character explains that there are dark corners of the world beyond human comprehension. As an example, he mentions a friend of his, who was once a sewer worker, but unexpectedly quit his job. The man's reason for quitting, he claimed, was that he had seen a giant spider in the sewer tunnels.
• Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: Steven Bishoff Dubay, one of the boys who beat up Adrian Mellon, is sent to Shawshank State Prison. Shawshank also figures in King's novella "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption".
• N.: In "N." The Macroverse, home of It, is also mentioned and is said to contain a creature named "Cthun".
• Christine: The car that picks up Henry to take him to the Derry Town House is a '58 Plymouth Fury, red and white, and driven by a corpse, in reference to Christine. Another reference to Christine can be found in Henry's psychotic break where It talks to him as the moon through the window of his cell. Henry remembers his father would talk about saving up to buy an old Plymouth he'd seen, usually when he was quite drunk.
• The Dark Tower:

• The image of the Turtle as a god-like being in opposition to evil is identical in the Dark Tower series. Both works also speak of "the voice of the Turtle" as telepathic messages from this being aiding the protagonists in their attempt to destroy evil. Similarly, both works share the concept of deadlights.
• The author describes a perfect day as being "On the beam," a possible reference to the path of the beam (Beam of the Bear, way of the Turtle), which orients directly to the Dark Tower itself.
• In the final Dark Tower novel, there is a robot named Stuttering Bill, a nickname shared by Bill Denbrough.
• Dandelo, a creature in the seventh Dark Tower novel is the same type of creature as It. Just before Susannah kills Dandelo it turns into a clown.
• While Ben is considering the events of the reunion meal, the phrase "there might grow flowers that sing" occurs to him. This is a reference to the field of Can' Ka No Rey, which is filled with singing roses.

• The Dead Zone: At one point, Beverly Marsh mentions "that crazy cop who killed all those women in Castle Rock, Maine". This is a reference to Frank Dodd, a character in The Dead Zone and Cujo.
• Dreamcatcher:

• Dreamcatcher also has a scene set in Derry and also features a gang who do a very brave thing in their childhoods, but tells the story from their adult perspectives, with flashback scenes to their childhoods, much like in It. When Gary Jones, under the influence of Mr. Gray (who is looking for Derry's Standpipe) arrives, they come across a statue made in commemoration of "The Losers" and underneath is spray painted "Pennywise Lives!"
• Gary "Jonesy" Jones in Dreamcatcher is taken over by an invading alien calling itself "Mr. Gray". Bob Gray is one of Pennywise's aliases. Mike Hanlon and Richie Tozier also witness Pennywise coming to Earth in what they believe to be a spaceship in the Losers Club smoke ceremony.

• Duma Key: In the novel Duma Key, on the copyright permission's page, it states "Permission to use lyrics from 'Dig' by Shark Puppy (R. Tozier, W. Denbrough)"
• Firestarter: The character of Patrick Hockstetter, who is killed by It in the junkyard, shares a name with a doctor in Firestarter.
• Insomnia: Derry, Maine is the setting for King's Insomnia. The death of Adrian Mellon is also mentioned in that novel, and Mike Hanlon makes an appearance there as the head librarian in the Derry Public Library; Ben Hanscom is mentioned as the architect of the Derry Civic Center. Patrick Hockstetter is briefly described as a childhood acquaintance of Ralph's. When The Crimson King is defeated by Ralph Roberts, it is forced into a blinding white light, which Ralph thinks of as the deadlights. Ralph sees an evil aura erupting out of a sewer manhole, and later sees a bright purple glow coming from a sewer grate that fades as a creature, implied to be It, passes by. Ed Deepneau claims to have seen dead babies "floating in the sewers and in the Kenduskeag down in the Barrens."
• Misery: Paul Sheldon remembers having been neighbors with Eddie Kaspbrak.
• Needful Things: Nettie Cobb had recently been released from Juniper Hill (on a work-release program with the aid of Polly Chalmers). Juniper Hill is a mental institution/prison for the criminally dangerous. This is where Henry Bowers was put after he murdered his father, and from which he broke free to hunt down the Losers years later.
• Both Leland Gaunt and Ace Merrill mention "bet your fur", Ace while driving the Tucker back to Castle Rock, and Leland right after Ace comments on how nice the car is.
• The Shining: When telling him the story of the Black Spot, Mike Hanlon's father talks about an old army friend, Dick Hallorann, who was an army cook. Dick Hallorann is the psychic cook at the Overlook Hotel in King's The Shining.
• The Stand: Ben Hanscom stops in at the Red Wheel Bar in the town of Hemingford Home, Nebraska; this was Mother Abagail's home in The Stand, as well as that of siblings Larry and Katrina in "The Last Rung on the Ladder".
• The Stand is briefly mentioned by Eddie at the House on Neibolt street thinking of a mental conductor chanting the names: Camden, Rockland, Bar Harbor, Wiscasset, Ogunquit, The Berwicks.
• The Tommyknockers: Haven, a small village near Derry, is mentioned; this was later the setting for The Tommyknockers. After the mall explodes during the storm, money from the bank is described as being found on the lawn of Rebbecca Paulson, a character in The Tommyknockers. In The Tommyknockers, a character hears chuckling noises coming from the drains in his house; later, another character driving through Derry glimpses "a clown, with silver dollars for eyes, holding a bunch of balloons" waving at him from a storm drain.
• Under the Dome: The symbol seen on the box powering the Dome is the same symbol found on the door to Its lair.
• The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon: The last acknowledgment on the first page references "Lyrics from 'Gotta Get Next To Next You (Jus' Slip Me A Taste)' by Richie 'Records' Tozier, copyright 1998 Soul Fine Music. Used by permission", referring to the character Richie Tozier.
• 11/22/63 Jake Epping meets and gets valuable information from Richie and Bev, and although they don't directly bring it up, clowns are mentioned causing tense reactions from both Richie and Bev who just shortly before thought to have defeated IT. There is mention of the deaths of George Denborough, Eddie and Dorsey Corcoran, and Patrick Hockstetter. Bev also asks Jake about "The Turtle".

External links

• It at Worlds Without End
• IT Review at Illuminati Blog
• IT Review(and Summary) at Stephen King Book Reviews
• It: Review and Chapter-By-Chapter Analysis